The Commission for Racial Equality was established
under the Race Relations Act 1976, with duties to work towards
the elimination of racial discrimination and to promote equality
of opportunity and good relations between persons of different
racial groups; and to keep the working of the Act under review.

There is clear evidence from national surveys
and analysis of general data sources, such as the Labour Force
Survey which highlight a number of areas in which people from
ethnic minority groups experience inequalities in access to, and
outcomes from, learning skills development. There is also significant
evidence that ethnic minority job seekers experience higher levels
of unemployment than white peope.

Current statistics give a profile of differential
participation and outcomes for the country's ethnic minority communities
when compared with white communties. Key points include:

 Ethnic minority unemployment rates
are more than twice those for white people, with particularly
high rates for young people and some communities;

 This gap remains at each level of
qualification. For those with degree or higher level qualifications
11 per cent of black, 6 per cent of Asian and 3 per cent of white
people were unemployed; at A level17 per cent, 14 per cent
and 5 per cent respectively (LFS Spring `97). It is unclear why
ethnic minority groups do not benefit fully from their qualifications;

 Among young people, 24 per cent of
all ethnic minorities were unemployed compared with 13 per cent
white young people. For Afro-Caribbean the rate was 34 per cent
(LFS Spring 1997);

 Ethnic minority people in work are
under represented at higher levels and over represented among
the less well paid grades. Access to a number of sectors is very
limited;

 In job related training, young white
employees were twice as likely to have received job related training
than ethnic minority employees (LFS 97previous four weeks);

 Among Youth Trainees, ethnic minority
groups are less likely to obtain jobs and qualifications after
training. They are seriously under represented among Modern Apprentices,
particularly in traditional and "craft" sectors;

 Ethnic minority men and women are
more likely to study further after school: 25 per cent compared
with 15 per cent of white people go on to further forms of education;

 School achievement rates vary between
different groups and in different subjects, with black young people
least likely to obtain five GCSEs at A-C grade;

 Black Caribbean school children/students
were five times more likely to face permanent exclusion in 95/6
than white young people;

 The LFS data on qualifications shows
that the Chinese and Indian groups are the closest to white groups
in their overall educational profiles (Spring 1998);

 In 1997, the CRE carried out a testing
exercise in the North of England and Scotland to investigate the
extent of racial discrimination in the youth employment market.
Young testers of different ethnic backgrounds were asked to apply
for jobs to see if their ethnicity made any difference to their
application. Responding to jobs advertised in local newspapers,
and applying in person to shops and businesses highlighted individual
examples of blatant and casual discrimination. Even though all
of the testers had the same qualifications, Asians found it three
times as hard to get an interview, and African Caribbeans five
times as hard compared to white candidates.

The CRE believes that it is crucial to develop
measures to address the continuing inequalities faced by those
groups who have been excluded from the full benefits of education,
training and employment. The Commission's experience, supported
by research into compliance with the CRE's Code of Practice, shows
that where employers tackle the causes of under-representation
of ethnic minority people as applicants, significant improvements
can take place (Are Employers Complying, 1989, CRE). Such action
includes changing selection criteria and monitoring decisions,
training for managers and setting clear targets, and where necessary
training to remedy skills or experience gaps amongst applicants.

However, only a minority of employers have taken
the necessary steps to improve recruitment, selection and adequate,
or appropriate training for career progression. A recent report
by the TUC highlights the impact of institutional racism in the
workplace on the career prospects of black and Asian workers (Black
and Excluded, 2000, TUC). The report concludes that in spite of
the increasing numbers of ethnic minority employees gaining high
level qualifications, there was no improvement in career progression.
It also showed that many ethnic minority employees take part-time
jobs because of difficulties finding full-time employment.

What can the Employment Service do to promote
the recruitment of unemployed people?

The Employment Service and other major players
should ensure that resources are deployed to support such priorities
as the social inclusion agenda and assistance for those who are
disadvantaged. Employers, training and careers guidance providers
need to be alert to the impact of unlawful disrimination, and
unconscious direct discrimination as well as the possibility of
deliberate acts of unfair treatment. Ethnic monitoring of employee
and trainees profiles should help to identify barriers that affect
the ability of ethnic minority young people to participate fully
in all stages of education, training and employment.

Recently, the CRE supported the Employment Service
to mainstream racial equality in all areas of its work and programmes.
The ES was urged to apply a consistent framework of racial equality/equal
opportunities principles and measures to ensure that individuals
receive fair treatment. Examples of initiatives included:

 Appropriate training and guidance
for staff;

 Procedures for identifying, investigating
and dealing with cases of instructions or pressure to discriminate;

 Effective mechanisms for ensuring
that output based systems do not lead to unfair treatment;

 Monitoring of access to and impact
of service provision by ethnic origin.

In order to assess progress in main service
areas, annual reports should be produced by each Employment Service
region on key performance indicators, including:

 Job outcomes;

 The extent to which particular development
and support needs have been met;

 Work in challenging employer discrimination;

 Measures to ensure fair treatment
and equal access for progression into the Employment New Deal
option.

The Learning and Skills Council

The Learning and Skills Council will need to
ensure equality of opportunity in learning and employment both
at national and local levels. It will be important to address
those inequalities which have been most ingrained in learning
and training provision over the past decade. These should include:

 examining why there has been an under
representation of ethnic minorities in many areas of employer
linked training, including Modern Apprenticeships;

 In FE where ethnic minority participation
rates are generally high, it is important that issues of access
to types of course and subject as well as outcome are addressed;

 Comprehensive ethnic monitoring systems
would enable more complete assessments to be made of the position
of ethnic minorities in the full range of post 16 training and
learning provision and to identify issues such as whether genuine
choice, or perceived barriers, are the cause of under representation
in some learning routes and over representation in others;

 It may also be possible to develop
remedial measures, including positive action under relevant legislation
to be taken where under representation is particularly significant.

Welfare to Work

Since May 1988, the Government has published
monthly statistics on the numbers starting, taking part in and
leaving the New Deal for Young People. The key figures and emerging
trends indicate:

 People from ethnic minorities are
less likely to have moved onto options ie they are still on the
gateway;

 Ethnic minority groups are the least
likely to move onto the employer option. By ethnic group, Africans
are the least likely to be on the employer option, and Indians
the most likely;

 People from ethnic minority groups
are the most likely to be on the full-time education and training
options;

 Ethnic minority young people leaving
the Gateways are less likely to have left for unsubsidises jobs
in comparison to their white counterparts.

(Source: DfEE Statistical
Release 1999)

In supporting people to secure employment, New
Deal should introduce positive action measures, together with
a clear strategy for tackling racial discrimination in training
and employment. Measures are needed to ensure that the potential
influence of employer discrimination and/or the need for particular
support are addressed within the advisory/Gateway period. Furthermore,
equal opportunity policies should be a contractual requirement
across all elements of local delivery. In particular, the staffing
involved in delivering programmes should reflect the ethnic diversity
of the clientele, and ethnic minority organisations/training providers
should be involved in all aspects of planning and delivery of
programmes.

Recruitment Agencies

The DTI should build into the regulations for
employment agencies specific requirement to carry out their functions
without racial discrimination and to adopt measures that work
seekers are provided with equal treatment and opportunity, which
includes challenging employer discrimination. This is essential
within a sector in which there is evidence of continuing discriminatory
instructions from employers in which the practices of recruitment
agencies in anticipating or dealing with such discrimination have
a major influence.